Door for vehicle

ABSTRACT

A door of a vehicle may include a first door module forming a door skeleton; and a second door module coupled with the first door module and forming a door window, wherein the second door module includes a relatively lightweight material as compared to the first door module; and a reinforcement member is along an edge portion forming the door window of the second door module, reducing weight and cost of the door for the vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2017-0171139 filed on Dec. 13, 2017, the entire contents of which isincorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a door of a vehicle. More particularly,the present invention relates to a door of a vehicle capable of reducingweight and cost and improving assembling workability.

Description of Related Art

A vehicle door is provided with a door window to improve the ventilationof the internal to the vehicle, the visibility and the habitability ofthe passenger, and is usually including a steel material inconsideration of collision stability and the like.

That is, the door external panel and the door internal panel of thesteel material are coupled to each other form a door skeleton, and adoor frame is coupled to the upper portion of the panels to form a doorwindow. A door module provided with a regulator for raising and loweringthe door window glass is built in the internal space formed by thecombination of the door external panel and the door internal panel.

Furthermore, the door internal panel is combined with a door trim as aninternal material provided with a door switch or window switch, and animpact beam is disposed close to the door external panel to increase theside impact rigidity of the door.

However, in the conventional door structure as described above, sincethe door internal panel and the door frame are usually made of steel,the weight of the door is increased. Since the door internal panel andthe door module are separately manufactured so that the number of partsof the door is increased, it is necessary to develop a more innovativevehicle door by reducing the number of parts of the door and reducingthe weight of the material.

The information included in this Background of the Invention section isonly for enhancement of understanding of the general background of theinvention and may not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form ofsuggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to aperson skilled in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing adoor of a vehicle configured for reducing the number of parts of thedoor by modularizing a large number of parts forming the door, reducingthe weight by making a portion of the door module including a relativelylightweight material instead of a steel material, and reducing assemblyman hour and cost.

A door of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention may include a first door module forming a door skeleton, asecond door module coupled with the first door module and forming a doorwindow. A reinforcement member may be inserted along an edge portionforming the door window of the second door module.

The first door module may be formed of a metal material, and the seconddoor module may be formed of a plastic material.

The second door module may be coupled with a door trim.

The first door module may include a door external panel disposed outsidea passenger compartment, a door internal panel disposed inside thepassenger compartment with respect to the door external panel, a doorframe coupled to the top portion of the door internal panel, and animpact beam coupled to the door internal panel.

An opening portion may be provided at a center portion of the doorinternal panel.

A reinforcing beam may be coupled to the door internal panel in a formthat traverses a portion of the opening portion of the door internalpanel.

The door frame may include two pillar portions extending in the heightdirection of a vehicle and disposed forwards and rearwards thereof alongthe longitudinal direction of a vehicle.

The second door module may include a module body of the panel shape, anda door window portion forming the door window and being integrallyformed with the module body.

The door window portion may include a roof portion corresponding to theroof profile of a vehicle body and a center pillar portion correspondingto a center pillar of the vehicle body when the door is closed to thevehicle body.

When the second door module is coupled with the first door module, aninternal space is formed therebetween, and a door glass for opening orclosing the door window may be inserted into the internal space to bevertically movable.

At least one door checker mounting boss for mounting a door checker maybe formed to be integrally protruded toward the outside of a passengercompartment at the external surface of the second door module facing theoutside of the passenger compartment.

At least one assemble protrusion inserted and assembled into an assemblehole formed in the door internal panel, may be integrally protrudedtoward the outside of the passenger compartment near a belt line of theexternal surface.

An assemble boss for engaging with the door internal panel may be formedto be integrally protruded toward the outside of the passengercompartment at a lower portion of the external surface.

A rigid protruding portion may be formed at a lower portion of the doorinternal panel. The rigid protruding portion may be engaged with theassemble boss for assembling the door internal panel with the seconddoor module. An extending section may be formed between the rigidprotruding portion and the door external panel.

At least one reinforcing rib may be provided near the roof portion, thecenter pillar portion and a belt line of the second door module.

The reinforcing rib may include a first reinforcing rib extending in thelongitudinal direction of a vehicle and a second reinforcing ribextending in the height direction of a vehicle. The first and secondreinforcing ribs may be disposed to form lattice pattern together.

The external surface of the center pillar portion may be joined with agarnish. A receiving groove may be formed between the garnish and thecenter pillar portion. A door glass run may be inserted into thereceiving groove.

The reinforcement member may be formed in a profile that corresponds tothe roof portion and the center pillar portion of the door window andthe belt line portion of the module body and inserted thereto.

A portion of the reinforcement member may be exposed from the seconddoor module so that the reinforcement member and the second door modulemay be fastened to the door internal panel.

The door for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention may include the first door module made of metalmaterial, the second door module made of lightweight material comparedto steel, and a door trim, reducing the number of parts and weight andcost of the door of a vehicle.

Furthermore, since only three door modules need to be assembled to eachother, it is possible to reduce assemble man hour, improve assembleworkability, and improve the appearance of the door of a vehicle withthe simple design of the modules.

The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other featuresand advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in moredetail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, andthe following Detailed Description, which together serve to explaincertain principles of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a door of a vehicle according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a door of a vehicle accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the second door module according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of FIG. 1.

It may be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily toscale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of variousfeatures illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. Thespecific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein,including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations,and shapes will be determined in part by the particularly intendedapplication and use environment.

In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent partsof the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of thepresent invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) willbe described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will beunderstood that the present description is not intended to limit theinvention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, theinvention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplaryembodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalentsand other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scopeof the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described morefully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichexemplary embodiments of the invention are shown.

The drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative innature and not restrictive. Like reference numerals designate likeelements throughout the specification.

Since size and thickness of each component illustrated in the drawingsare arbitrarily represented for convenience in explanation, the presentinvention is not particularly limited to the illustrated size andthickness of each component and the thickness is enlarged andillustrated to clearly express various parts and areas.

In the following description, dividing names of components into first,second and the like is to divide the names because the names of thecomponents are the same as each other and an order thereof is notparticularly limited.

Throughout the specification, unless explicitly described to thecontrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or“comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of statedelements but not the exclusion of any other elements.

As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments maybe modified in various different ways, all without departing from thespirit or scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a door of a vehicle according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a first doormodule having a door external panel 1, a door internal panel 2, a doorframe 3 and an impact beam 4, a second door module 5, and a door trim 6as a third door module.

The door external panel 1 may be disposed outside a passengercompartment and formed into a perfect panel shape in consideration ofdoor rigidity. The door internal panel 2 may be disposed inside thepassenger compartment with respect to the door external panel 1 and havean opening portion 21 at a center portion thereof to reduce weight andcost.

The door external panel 1 and the door internal panel 2 may be formed ofmetal material as steel.

A reinforcing beam 22 may be coupled to the door internal panel 2 in aform that transvers a portion of the opening portion 21. When the doorinternal panel 2 is combined with the door external panel 1, thereinforcing beam 22 may be disposed close to the door external panel 1to support the door external panel 1.

The door frame 3 may be coupled to an upper portion of the door internalpanel 2.

The door frame 3 may include two pillar portions 32, 33 extending in theheight direction of a vehicle and disposed forwards and rearwardsthereof along the longitudinal direction of a vehicle. Two pillarportions 32, 33 may be coupled to the door internal Panel 2.

That is, the conventional door frame has a roof portion corresponding tothe roof profile of the vehicle body and a center pillar portioncorresponding to the center pillar profile of the vehicle body when thedoor is closed, while the door frame 3 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention removes the conventional roofportion and the center pillar portion.

Therefore, the door frame 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention may reduce weight and cost as compared to theconventional door frame.

The impact beam 4 may be coupled to the door internal panel 2 anddisposed close to the door external panel 1, absorbing the impact at theside collision and blocking the intrusion of the door into the passengercompartment.

The impact beam 4 and the door frame 3 are coupled to the door internalpanel 2 and the door internal panel 2 is coupled to the door externalpanel 1 so that the first door module as a door skeleton may be formed.

The second door module 5 may include a relatively lightweight material,for example, a plastic material, as compared to the first door module.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the second door module 5 may include amodule body 51 of the panel shape, and a door window portion 53 forminga door window 52 and being integrally formed with the module body 51.

The door window portion 53 may include a roof portion 531 correspondingto the roof profile of the vehicle body and a center pillar portion 532corresponding to a center pillar profile of the vehicle body when thedoor is closed to a vehicle body.

When the second door module 5 is coupled with the first door module, aninternal space is formed therebetween. A door glass 7 for opening orclosing the door window 52 may be inserted into the internal space to bevertically movable via a lifting device such as regulator (referring toFIG. 3).

Referring to FIG. 5, at least one door checker mounting boss 55 formounting a door checker 8 may be formed to be integrally protruded atthe external surface 54 of the second door module 5 facing the outsideof the passenger compartment.

Furthermore, at least one assemble protrusion 57, which is inserted intoan assemble hole formed at the door internal panel 2 and assembledthereto, may be formed to be integrally protruded in the vicinity of thebelt line portion at the external surface 54, and an assemble boss 58for assembling with the door internal panel 2 through fastener F may beformed to be integrally protruded toward the outside at a lower portionof the external surface 54, as shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, a rigid protruding portion 23 may be formed in alower portion of the door internal panel 2. The rigid protruding portion23 may be engaged with the assemble boss 58 of the second door module 5via the fastener F.

When the door internal panel 2 is coupled to the door external panel 1,the rigid protruding portion 23 is spaced from the door external panel 1so that an expanded section S may be formed between the rigid protrudingportion 23 and the door external panel 1 to increase rigidity. The rigidprotruding portion 23 is configured to increase the coupling rigiditybetween the door internal panel 2 and the second door module 5.

Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, a reinforcement member10 may be inserted into the roof portion 531, the center pillar portion532 and the belt line of the second door module 5 to be integrallymolded.

The reinforcement member 10 may be preferably formed of a plate materialof steel or metal material corresponding to the profile of the loopportion 531 and the center pillar portion 532 and the belt line portionof the second door module 5.

The reinforcement member 10 is configured to reinforce a portion of thesecond door module 5 having a relatively low rigidity.

At least one reinforcing rib 9 may be provided near the roof portion531, the center pillar portion 532 and the belt line of the second doormodule 5.

The reinforcing rib 9 may be formed by a first reinforcing rib 91extending in the longitudinal direction for a vehicle and a secondreinforcing rib 92 extending in the height direction for a vehicle,which are disposed to form lattice pattern.

The reinforcing rib 9 is configured to reinforce the rigidity of thesecond door module 5.

Referring to FIG. 8, a garnish 65 may be coupled to an external surfaceof the center pillar portion 532 to improve the external appearance ofthe door.

A receiving groove may be formed between the garnish 65 and the centerpillar portion 532. A door glass run 15, which is configured to guideand support the door glass 7, may be inserted into the receiving groove.

Furthermore, a door weather strip 25 may be attached to the second doormodule 5 and a vehicle body weather strip 35 may be attached to avehicle body 35, so that the air-tightness may be maintained when thedoor is closed.

Referring to FIG. 9, when the reinforcement member 10 is inserted intothe second door module 5, the second door module 5 does not completelycover the reinforcement member 10, but a portion of the reinforcementmember 10 is exposed from the second door module 5, and the second doormodule 5 and the reinforcement member 10 may be fastened to the doorinternal panel 2 by a bolt B.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appendedclaims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “up”, “down”,“upper”, “lower”, “upwards”, “downwards”, “front”, “rear”, “back”,“inside”, “outside”, “inwardly”, “outwardly”, “internal”, “external”,“inner”, “outer”, “forwards”, and “backwards” are used to describefeatures of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions ofsuch features as displayed in the figures.

The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described toexplain certain principles of the invention and their practicalapplication, to enable others skilled in the art to make and utilizevarious exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well asvarious alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that thescope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto andtheir equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A door of a vehicle, comprising: a first doormodule forming a door skeleton; and a second door module coupled withthe first door module and forming a door window; and a reinforcementmember disposed between the first door module and the second door modulealong an edge portion forming the door window of the second door module.2. The door of claim 1, wherein the first door module includes a metalmaterial and the second door module includes a plastic material, and thesecond door module is made of a relatively lightweight material ascompared to the first door module.
 3. The door of claim 1, wherein adoor trim is coupled to the second door module.
 4. The door of claim 1,wherein the first door module includes: a door external panel disposedoutside a passenger compartment; a door internal panel disposed insidethe passenger compartment; a door frame coupled to a top portion of thedoor internal panel; and an impact beam coupled to the door internalpanel.
 5. The door of claim 4, wherein an opening portion is provided ata center portion of the door internal panel.
 6. The door of claim 5,wherein a reinforcing beam is coupled to the door internal panel in aform that traverses a portion of the opening portion of the doorinternal panel.
 7. The door of claim 4, wherein the door frame includesa first pillar portion extending in a height direction of the vehicleand a second pillar portion extending in the height direction of thevehicle, wherein the first and second pillar portions are disposedforwards and rearwards of along the longitudinal direction of thevehicle.
 8. The door of claim 1, wherein the second door moduleincludes: a module body in a panel shape; and a door window portionforming the door window and being integrally formed with the modulebody.
 9. The door of claim 8, wherein the door window portion includes:a roof portion corresponding to a roof profile of a vehicle body whenthe door is closed to the vehicle body; and a center pillar portioncorresponding to a center pillar of the vehicle body when the door isclosed to the vehicle body.
 10. The door of claim 1, wherein an internalspace is formed between the first door module and the second door modulewhen the second door module is coupled with the first door module andwherein a door glass for opening or closing the door window is insertedinto the internal space to be vertically movable.
 11. The door of claim1, wherein at least one door checker mounting boss for mounting a doorchecker is formed to be integrally protruded toward an outside of apassenger compartment at an external surface of the second door modulefacing the outside of the passenger compartment.
 12. The door of claim11, wherein at least one assemble protrusion inserted and assembled intoan assemble hole formed in the door internal panel, is formed to beintegrally protruded toward the outside of the passenger compartmentadjacent to a belt line of the external surface.
 13. The door of claim12, wherein an assemble boss for engaging with the door internal panelis formed to be integrally protruded toward the outside of the passengercompartment at a lower portion of the external surface.
 14. The door ofclaim 13, wherein a protruding portion is formed at a lower portion ofthe door internal panel; wherein the protruding portion is engaged withthe assemble boss for assembling the door internal panel with the seconddoor module; and wherein an extending section is formed between theprotruding portion and the door external panel.
 15. The door of claim 9,wherein at least one reinforcing rib is provided adjacent to the roofportion, the center pillar portion and a belt line of the second doormodule.
 16. The door of claim 15, wherein the reinforcing rib includes afirst reinforcing rib extending in the longitudinal direction of thevehicle and a second reinforcing rib extending in the height directionof the vehicle; and wherein the first and second reinforcing ribs aredisposed to form a lattice pattern together.
 17. The door of claim 9,wherein an external surface of the center pillar portion is joined witha garnish; wherein a receiving groove is formed between the garnish andthe center pillar portion; and wherein a door glass run is inserted intothe receiving groove.
 18. The door of claim 9, wherein the reinforcementmember is formed in a profile that corresponds to the roof portion andthe center pillar portion of the door window and the belt line portionof the module body and inserted thereto.
 19. The door of claim 1,wherein the reinforcement member is inserted into a body of the seconddoor module, wherein a portion of the reinforcement member is exposedoutside of the second door module, and wherein the portion of thereinforcement member and the second door module are fastened to the doorinternal panel.
 20. The door of claim 19, wherein the reinforcing memberis formed of a plate material.